Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Seattle police can track the last 1,000 times your wifi-enabled device looked for a signal / RawStory

Yes, thanks to a tiny $2.6 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, local Seattle police know everywhere your cell phone, ipad, and laptop have been for quite awhile.  There is likely video of you as well.  The "mesh network" that the police bought is capable of identifying and storing 
"the IP address, device type, downloaded applications, current location, and historical location of any device that searches for a Wi-Fi signal. The network is capable of storing that information for the previous 1,000 times a particular device attempted to access a Wi-Fi signal."
RawStory links to a video from local TV station KIRO7, which ran the same story on its website.  And here is what the City Council was told about the network, including a different cost of $4.875 and the installation of 169 access points and cameras, which might beam footage online.  A city councilman said it isn't "on" yet.  Hmmm.  The company that sold the system, Aruba networks, produced marketing material last year that claims the system, at least one stage, was "quickly deployed and configured in a few days."

Below is what the installations look like. 
You Are a Rogue Device

 The system serves as both a communications system for police and a data tracking system.

The policy for how the system is to be used and monitored has not been shared with the ACLU (which asked some months back) or the public, yet.

The most detailed story (which also discusses the Seattle PD's two drones) is in the Seattle Stranger.

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